Builder gave flats to slum dwellers named 'Toilet'

After MiD DAY's report on builder who tried to palm off kin as slum dwellers, it emerges he allotted flats to his own firm (Ackruti Nirmal Limited), and to entities the firm identified with absurd names like 'Toilet' and 'Unauthorised'

Passing off around a 100 relatives and office bearers as slum dwellers was not the only trick in the book that the promoter of construction firm Ackruti City pulled in his quest to amass space while redeveloping MIDC land in Andheri (East). The sham that MiD DAY reported yesterday ('Builder turns kin into slum dwellers') has more aberrations to it.

This paper has documents that show that the builder had allotted 75 flats to slum dwellers named as 'Toilet', 'ANL' (Ackruti Nirmal Ltd, the firm's former name), and other nonsensical titles.

Awkward allotments: MIDC cites the allotment status furnished by Ackruti which states 'Toilet' under the category for the name of slum dwellers, in the document above. Others such as 'Temporary Allotment' and 'ANL' can also be spotted. One of the rehabilitation buildings at MIDC in Andheri (East). File pic

An MIDC letter, dated May 22, 2008 sent to Ackruti, states, "After going through the allotment status furnished by you (Ackruti) for 2,600 slum dwellers who have been allotted galas (units) in different pockets under Slum Rehabilitation Scheme in Marol industrial area, it has been observed that > The annexure nos of respective slum dwellers are not mentioned. > Some units are still seen in possession of Ackruti Nirman Ltd.> Some units are allotted as 'Toilet'.

It is therefore requested of you to give detailed justification n respect to the above observations." Annexed to the letter is the problematic list of 75 allotments that Ackruti submitted to MIDC. Instances of some knotty allotments include flat number G-3, allotted to a slum dweller named ANL (the firm itself). Similarly, flats G-18 and 111 were allotted to slum dwellers named 'Toilet', and flat 707 to a dweller named 'Unauthorised'. In all these instances, the pocket number and the Annexure II number of the slum dwellers are missing from the letter.

Similarly, flats 207, 305, 712 and others were allotted as 'Temporary allotment', without any mention of Annexure II or flat numbers against the allotments.

'Rules breached'Amit Maru, the activist who resorted to RTI to verify the inconsistencies in the allotment, said, "The builder can't allot a flat as 'toilet' because Slum Rehab rules state that all flats have to be self-sufficient, which means that bathrooms etc should be within the flat. So this allotment is wrongful."

Another activist said on condition of anonymity, "Under the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme, flats are only for eligible slum dwellers. Heence, there can't be a temporary allotment or even allotment to 'unauthorised' persons, as the builder has done."

380 ineligible dwellersFurthermore, in August 2010, the MIDC dispatched another letter to the builder for vacating 380 flats allotted to ineligible slum dwellers in all the pockets from 1-9.

The letter reads, "MIDC that has been developing the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme in Marol Industrial Area has found out that you (Ackruti) have allotted 380 units to non- eligible slum dwellers, which is against Slum Rehabilitation Rules and Regulations. It is seen that some units are allotted as 'Balwadi', 'Society Office', 'Temporary Allotment', and 'Unauthorised'. In this context, you are requested to vacate all such units."

MIDC claims it has taken action against the builder. "We have already taken away from the builder 1 lakh sq ft of saleable commercial component from the redevelopment. We are taking actions for all his misdeeds," Avinash Mali, deputy engineer, MIDC told MiD DAY on Tuesday.

The other sideNo official from Ackruti has responded to MiD DAY's queries over the alleged discrepancies in the allotments yet, despite emails from, and a meeting with, this reporter.